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Thursday, October 09, 2008

Aotearoa

Brian and I just returned from nine days in New Zealand. Aotearoa, by the way, means Land of the Long White Cloud and is the indigenous Māori name for New Zealand. The ACTS (Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability) Conference was held in Christchurch and this was my third year attending this conference, so I wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to go again AND get a holiday in New Zealand at the same time! The trip was delightful – the conference was terrific and the south island of NZ is every bit as amazing as I’d heard. A few photos from the trip (though not the best quality; our camera is still acting up).

The view from the gondola outside of Christchurch overlooking the Banks Peninsula.

The Avon. Christchurch is all around a very British-inspired city.

I convinced Brian to take me punting on the Avon.

We took the TranzAlpine Train out of Christchurch on the east coast across Arthur's Pass to Greymouth on the west coast.

Some of the stunning mountain views from the train.

More spectacular views from the train.

Taking it all in.

An art display in Christchurch that tickled our fancy - a tribute to the once popular petrol fueled car :)

Several afternoons were spent exploring the Botanic Gardens.

Tulips and architecture - a great combination.

The architecture was one of the things we really liked about Christchurch. It gave the city a lot of character; much older than Canberra. The Kiwis were all very friendly (the people, not the birds or the fruit) and for the first time in years, we had proper Mexican food! Not sure how it ended up in Christchurch but we had two dinners at a respectably authentic Mexican restaurant. Yay! So much we didn't get to see - I can definitely envision another trip to NZ!